Gov. Nathan Deal announced today that Purac will open a new biomaterials manufacturing facility in Tucker. The company will invest $20 million into the manufacturing operation, creating more than 30 new jobs.   

“With Georgia’s rich resources and assets within the bioscience industry, Purac Biomaterials will find a good home in our state,” said Deal. “Being able to sit down with a company’s leaders to ask for their business is a tremendous advantage for economic development. This commitment will further help me in making Georgia the No. 1 place in the nation to do business.”

Purac Biomaterials, a part of Dutch-based Purac, develops, manufactures and markets resorbable polymers and monomers worldwide under the PURASORB® brand name. The products and services support development from early stage research and development to market introduction and large scale commercial supply. Purac is a subsidiary of CSM with business in bakery supplies, food preservation solutions and bio-based chemicals. CSM already operates two facilities in Tucker.

Deal met with CSM’s CEO Gerard Hoetmer and toured the company’s headquarters in the Netherlands while in Europe in July, during one of his four economic development missions of the year. The mission also included visits to Vanderlande Industries, TenCate and Philips Electronics, Dutch companies that already operate facilities in the state. The Netherlands ranks fourth among European investors in Georgia.

“We are very pleased with the support we received from the state of Georgia and DeKalb County in finding a location for Purac Biomaterials,” said Menno Lammers, managing director of Purac Biomaterials. Together, with our location in the Netherlands, this facility will enable us to further strengthen our leading role in biomedical polymers. We look forward to becoming part of the local community.”

The company will produce resorbable polymers for the medical and pharmaceutical industry in a 60,000-square foot facility in Tucker, whose acquisition was completed on Nov. 28. The facility is expected to be operational in early 2014.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development led the recruitment of Purac Biomaterials with support from the DeKalb County Office of Economic Development and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Amanda Shailendra and Glen Whitley with the Health Sciences and Advanced Technology team at GDEcD managed the project for the state.

“We are excited about the location of Purac Biomaterials in DeKalb County,” DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis said. “With the Centers for Disease Control, Emory Healthcare, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and DeKalb Medical Center located nearby, we think that there will be a natural synergy for Purac Biomaterials’ new location in Tucker. This is the result of DeKalb County's collaboration with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, a true partner in stimulating investment and job creation.”

“Purac’s selection of Metro Atlanta for its North American R&D and specialty polymer production is recognition of our region’s robust growth in pharmaceutical and other health-related markets,” said David Hartnett, vice president bioscience and health IT development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “The bioscience industry already employs more than 105,000 people in Georgia. This new facility will take advantage of our uniquely skilled labor mix in metropolitan Atlanta, and it adds to an already impressive supply chain existing here for medical devices and drug delivery products.”

With strong talent, a spirit of collaboration and access to the world, Georgia is at the crossroads of global health. The state offers robust public-private partnerships in bioscience, including the Georgia Research Alliance, through which the state’s six research universities collaborate with businesses to create, improve and grow science- and technology-based companies. Additionally, Georgia boasts a strong talent pool and one of the largest state university systems in the country, graduating 44,000 students each year. Its bioscience industry cluster includes more than 300 multinational firms. Georgia’s life sciences industry and university research, plus the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have a $20 billion annual economic impact on Georgia and employ more than 94,000 people.

“Georgia’s strategic focus on the bioscience industry is resulting in more and more attention from companies in this space, and our business missions are an important way of getting the word out,” GDEcD Commissioner Chris Cummiskey. “We appreciate Purac’s decision to locate in Georgia and look forward to working with the company to help them realize the full advantages of the state’s competitive advantages for this industry.”